Ear nose throat (ENT) doctors (Otolaryngologists) are physicians trained in the medical and surgical management and treatment of patients with diseases and disorders of the ear, nose, throat (ENT), and related structure of the head and neck.

Their special skills include diagnosing and managing diseases of the sinuses, larynx (voice box), oral cavity, and upper pharynx (mouth and throat), as well as structures of the neck and face. Otolaryngologists diagnose, treat, and manage specialty-specific disorders as well as many primary care problems in both children and adults.

The common diseases and conditions treated by ENT specialist or Otolaryngologist include:

Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death.

Every flu season is different, and influenza infection can affect people differently. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to others.

“Flu season” can begin as early as October and last as late as May. During this time, flu viruses are circulating at higher levels in the population. An annual seasonal fluvaccine is the best way to reduce the chances that you will get seasonal flu and spread it to others. When more people get vaccinated against the flu, less flu can spread through that community.

How do fluvaccineswork?

A new version of the vaccine is developed twice a year as the influenza virus rapidly changes. While their effectiveness varies from year to year, most provide modest to high protection against influenza.

The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season.

Who should get vaccinated?

All persons aged 6 months and older are recommended for annual vaccination, with rare exception.

Vaccination to prevent influenza is particularly important for people who are at high risk of serious complications from influenza.

Who Should Not Be Vaccinated?

Different flu vaccines are approved for use in different groups of people. Factors that can determine a person’s suitability for vaccination, or vaccination with a particular vaccine, include a person’s age, health (current and past) and any allergies to flu vaccine or its components.

Children younger than 6 months are too young to get a flu shot.

People with severe, life-threatening allergies to flu vaccine or any ingredient in the vaccine. This might include gelatin, antibiotics, or other ingredients

Special Consideration Regarding Egg Allergy

People with egg allergies can receive any licensed, recommended age-appropriate influenza vaccine and no longer have to be monitored for 30 minutes after receiving the vaccine. People who have severe egg allergies should be vaccinated in a medical setting and be supervised by a health care provider who is able to recognize and manage severe allergic conditions.

When should I get vaccinated?

Flu vaccination should begin soon after vaccine becomes available, if possible by October. However, as long as flu viruses are circulating, vaccination should continue to be offered throughout the flu season, even in January or later. While seasonal influenza outbreaks can happen as early as October, during most seasons influenza activity peaks in January or later. Since it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body that protect against influenza virus infection, it is best that people get vaccinated so they are protected before influenza begins spreading in their community.

Why do I need a flu vaccine every year?

A flu vaccine is needed every season for two reasons. First, the body’s immune response from vaccination declines over time, so an annual vaccine is needed for optimal protection. Second, because flu viruses are constantly changing, the formulation of the flu vaccine is reviewed each year and sometimes updated to keep up with changing flu viruses. For the best protection, everyone 6 months and older should get vaccinated annually.

Coughing is a reflex to clean the throat and the airway. It ejects unwanted materials so it is important to protect yourself. Although repeated cough is annoying.

If you smoke cigarettes, your lungs and air passages are contaminated by foreign, unwanted chemicals. When you inhale these chemicals, your body tries to eject them by coughing.

“Early morning cough” that affect smokers is caused by one unique reason. On normal people, small hair-like formation (cilia) that lines the airways can sweep unwanted materials out of the lungs with outward movements. Unfortunately cigarette smoke decrease the sweeping movement, as the result some of the toxic substances remain in the lungs. When you sleep, cilia regain some of its effectiveness and it begins to work again, this is the reason why you cough in the morning. Your body is trying to clear away toxic materials that are that are accumulated the previous day.

Decades of smoking can permanently impair cilia’s ability to clean your respiratory system. As the result, you’ll be more vulnerable than before to other contaminants, such as bacteria, virus and other pollutants. This will make infection and irritation more likely to happen.

How to Stop Smoker’s Cough

Having a smoker’s cough is actually a normal thing. It’s a sign that your body is trying to deal with what you’re doing to it and trying to heal itself. Our bodies always try to repair themselves no matter what we do to them.

You shouldn’t try to suppress a cough with cough medications because it has a very important purpose.

Treatment

Quitting smoking is the only way you can stop a smoker’s cough.

After quitting, within 6-8 weeks the cough will mostly disappear.

In addition you can try a number of natural treatments. These methods can help to detoxify your lungs and remove impurities:

• Add some salt with warm water and gargle. It will soothe the cough and take out the phlegm more easily.

• Drink at least 2 lt of water each day. Water is a basic thinning agent and can reduce pain associated with smoker’s cough.

• Coffee and alcohol can dehydrate your bronchial wall and worsen you coughing. Switch to hot tea or simply water.

• Prop your head with a firm pillow, so your head is slightly elevated. When you lie flat, mucus will collect in your throat, causing severe cough.

Hearing loss caused by loud noises is called noise-induced hearing loss (acoustic trauma). It can occur from long-term (chronic) exposure to loud noise or from a sudden (acute) loud burst of sound.

Any sound above 85 dB has potential to harm your ears.

As exposure to sounds 85 -120dB are dangerous over 30 minutes, sounds above 120 dB are dangerous even over 30 seconds!

Causes

Common causes of acoustic trauma include:

loud music

industriel sounds

injury due to blow, explosion, pressure changes

Symptoms

Hearing loss

Sense of fullness the ear

Noises, ringing in the ear

Earache

Bleeding from the ear

Dizziness

Treatment

The hearing loss may not be treatable. The goal of treatment is to protect the ear from further damage. Hearing aid is prescribed for communication needs. If ear Drum is ruptured, surgery to repair ear drum may be needed.

Noise exposure, whether occupational or recreational, is the leading preventable cause of hearing loss. It can be prevented by avoiding “too loud” or “too long” Noise exposure and use of hearing protection when necessary.

An acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor that develops on the nerve that connects the ear to the brain. The tumor usually grows slowly. As it grows, it presses against the hearing and balance nerves. At first, you may have no symptoms or mild symptoms. They can include

Loss of hearing on one side

Ringing in ears

Dizziness and balance problems

The tumor can also eventually cause numbness or paralysis of the face. If it grows large enough, it can press against the brain, becoming life-threatening.

Acoustic neuroma can be difficult to diagnose, because the symptoms are similar to those of middle ear problems. Ear exams, hearing tests, and scans can show if you have it.

If the tumor stays small, you may only need to have it checked regularly. If you do need treatment, surgery and radiation are options.

If the tumors affect both hearing nerves, it is often because of a genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis.

What İs A Goitre?

A goitre is an enlarged thyroid gland. A goitre can mean that all the thyroid gland is swollen or enlarged, or one or more swellings or lumps develop in a part or parts of the thyroid. Some people with a goitre (but not all) have an underactive or overactive thyroid. This means that they make too much or too little thyroid hormone. There are various causes of goitre and treatment depends on the cause.

The thyroid gland is in the lower part of the front of the neck. It lies just in front of the windpipe (trachea). It has a right and left lobe which are connected together by a narrow band of thyroid tissue. You cannot usually see or feel a normal thyroid gland. If the thyroid enlarges, it causes a swelling in the neck which you can see – a goitre.

The thyroid gland makes thyroid hormones – called thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These hormones are carried round the body in the bloodstream. Thyroxine and T3 help to keep the body’s functions (the metabolism) working at the correct pace. Many cells and tissues in the body need thyroxine and T3 to keep them working correctly.

Types of Goitre

Diffuse smooth goitre

This means that the entire thyroid gland is larger than normal. The thyroid feels smooth but is larger than normal.

There are a number of causes. For example:

Graves’ disease – an autoimmune disease which causes the thyroid to swell and make too much thyroxine. In autoimmune disorders your body produces an antibody that damages a different part of your body – in this case, your thyroid.

Thyroiditis (inflammation of the thyroid) – which can be due to various causes. For example, a viral infection can cause viral thyroiditis.

Iodine deficiency. The thyroid needs iodine to make thyroxine and T3. If you lack iodine in your diet, the thyroid swells as it tries to make enough thyroxine and T3.

Some medicines such as lithium can cause the thyroid to swell as a side-effect.

Hereditary factors – some people inherit a tendency for a thyroid to swell. In particular, it may swell at times of life when you may make more thyroxine and T3 – for example, when you are pregnant, or during puberty.

Any other disorder which causes problems making thyroxine or T3, may cause the thyroid to swell.

Nodular goitres

A thyroid nodule is a small lump which develops in the thyroid. There are two types:

A multinodular goitre. This means the thyroid gland has developed many lumps or nodules. The thyroid gland feels generally lumpy.

A single nodule. Causes include:

A cyst (a fluid-filled benign tumour).

An adenoma (a solid benign tumour).

A cancerous tumour (rare).

Other rare causes.

What are the symptoms of a goitre?

In many cases there are no symptoms apart from the appearance of a swelling in the neck. The size of a goitre can range from very small and barely noticeable, to very large.

Most goitres are painless. However, an inflamed thyroid (thyroiditis) can be painful.

If your thyroid makes too much or too little thyroxine or T3, this can cause a range of symptoms.

A large goitre may press on the windpipe or the gullet (oesophagus). This may cause difficulty with breathing or with swallowing.

What is the treatment for a goitre?

Treatment depends on the cause, the size of the goitre, and whether it is causing symptoms. For example:

If you have a small goitre that is not due to a cancerous nodule, and your thyroid is making the correct amount of thyroxine and T3, then you may not need any treatment.

You will need treatment if you make too much or too little thyroxine or T3.

An operation to remove some or all of the thyroid may be an option in some cases.

Radioactive iodine treatment may be an option for a goitre causing an overactive thyroid:

This involves taking a drink, or swallowing a capsule, which contains radioactive iodine.

The radioactive iodine builds up in the thyroid gland.

As the radioactivity is concentrated in the thyroid gland, it destroys some thyroid tissue.

You may need to take thyroxine tablets after having radioactive iodine, if too much of the thyroid is destroyed.

If you have cancer of the thyroid, you will probably need an operation to remove the cancer and some of the thyroid gland.

Iodine replacement is given if the goitre is due to lack of iodine in the diet.

Acute Sialadenitis

Found in debilitated and dehidrated patients, especially with major surgery, trauma, radiation therapy, immunosuppression, chemotherapy, or Sjögren’s syndrome.

Treatment: Rehidration, warm compress, sialogogues to stimulate salivary secretion, and regular, gentle gland massage, antibiotics, oral irrigations. If there are attacks more than approximately 3 times per year or severe attacks, surgical excision of the affected gland should be considered